Vp plc Diamond Jubilee Charity Challenge

28 Mar 2017

2014 marked the 60th anniversary of our parent company, Vp plc, and as part of their diamond jubilee celebrations they launched the ‘Diamond Jubilee Charity Challenge’.

The challenge tasked Vp plc’s six main divisions, at the time, with collectively raising a total of £30,000 for charity. After reaching the £30,000 goal, Vp plc matched it, giving a grand total of £60,000 to donate to a selection of charitable organisations.

It was decided that £30,000 would be distributed between three large UK charities, giving them a substantial donation of £10,000 each. The remaining £30,000 was then given to the six divisions to share out amongst their choice of organisations.

In order to decide which charities should benefit from the £5,000 share that Airpac Bukom were allocated, we held an internal anonymous vote to allow our colleagues across the globe the chance to nominate their favourite charities.

Once the voting was finished, the following charities received the highest number of votes and were allocated sums based on their popularity:

Childhood Cancer Association (Australia)

Marie Curie (Aberdeen)

Mrs Murray's Home for Stray Dogs and Cats (Aberdeen)

SSPCA(Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) (Aberdeen)

Autism Association of Western Australia (Australia)

East Anglian Air Ambulance (Great Yarmouth)

Feed Friends Foundation (Curacao)

Over the next few months we will be meeting in person with each of the organisations in order to hand over the cheques and will be sharing across our social media accounts the stories of all the good work that each organisation is involved in. Please keep checking back for updated pictures and information on the charities.

See below for more information on these worthwhile causes and click on the headers to visit their websites:

The SSPCA is Scotland's animal welfare charity and the equivalent to RSPCA in England and Wales. The SSPCA rescue animals in danger, find pets new homes, investigate abuse and prevent cruelty through their 'Prevention through Education' programme for Scottish schools. The Drumoak re-homing centre was opened in 2011 to serve the North-east of Scotland.

Feed Friends Foundation arose in April of 2015 from the need to create one central point for reporting and registering stray dog feeding on the island of Curaçao. The goal of the foundation is to coordinate, organise and register the feeding of stray dogs.
Feeding should lead to fewer stray dogs in Curaçao and as soon as the dog is approachable it will be sprayed / neutered, thus reducing the number of stray dogs.

Mrs Murray's cares for lost and stray dogs and cats, and helps re-home animals whose owners can no longer care for them. Each year 1500 animals pass through their gates, and they depend on public donations and legacies to help them secure each and every one with a happy future. Mrs Murray's was founded in 1889 by Mrs Susan Murray, as a place of refuge and shelter for lost and stray dogs and cats in Aberdeen City and Shire.

The Childhood Cancer Association is one of Australia's key childhood cancer support organisations, dedicated to supporting children living with cancer, and their families. The association supports children with cancer and their families from South Australia & Northern Territory, as well as families from country Victoria and New South Wales, when their child receives treatment in Adelaide.

Marie Curie provides care and support for people living with any terminal illness, and their families. They have been carrying out this vital work for over 65 years – and in the last year alone they cared for over 40,000 people across the UK.

Established in 1967, the association are the largest specialist lifespan organisation in Australia providing services to people with Autism. The programs they develop are best-practice and based on leading international peer-reviewed research in the field of Autism.They maintain well established links both nationally and internationally, ensuring they stay up-to-date with advances in this ever-evolving field of research and practical experience.

East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) is the charity providing a helicopter emergency medical service for the people of East Anglia. Since launching in 2000 they have attended over 20,000 lifesaving missions with a crew of specialist pre-hospital doctors and critical-care paramedics. They operate two helicopters out of bases in Cambridge and Norwich.